Fragments
by spitzfyre
Summary: Sakura leaves for a long mission, believing that she return to the newly appointed hokage, Uzumaki Naruto. But she's in for quite a surprise.


Disclaimer: Kishimoto sama owns Naruto. I think. Or at least most of it…..

Warning: contains boy x boy relationships

Sakura gazed at the crimson sky, splayed out in a flurry of purples and burgundy. Dawn was nearing, and the stars were beginning to fade. Staring straight up, she breathed in deeply, content at the success of their mission, and because they were finally going home. The half scout and half diplomatic meet had gone fairly well, but it had cost them three months. Three months during which Naruto was supposed to be officially inaugurated in as the sixth hokage, or Rokudaime.

She couldn't help the grin that spread across her face. His dream had finally been realized and she was going home to greet him as the Hokage for the first time. She had been devasted that she could not be there at the ceremony. Naruto had become one of her closest friends, and it hurt as if she was missing her own inauguration. But missions still had to be completed, and she lost the heart to complain after seeing Hinata nod to accept a mission to elsewhere with tears in her eyes.

She knew how much it had meant to her too.

She could hear Shikamaru yawn nearby, and Neiji hefting his pack on, which hinted that they were preparing to wrap up their camp and start the short run back to Konoha. With Shikamaru and Sakura's intelligence, and Neji's cool headedness, they had been ideal delegates for peace settlements.

"Sakura! We're going!" she heard Shikamaru call, and she smiled and answered cheerfully, "coming!"

**Chapter One - Cracks emerge.**

The noon sun was high in the sky, and the heat came down in lazy waves. Sakura felt a never felt before thrill as she passed through the big entrance gates to Konoha.

Shikamaru lazily waved the mission scroll at her. "Here ya go. Go turn it in will you? "

She made a face. "You're the captain. Why won't you turn it in?" Shikamaru shrugged. "I never turn it in. If I suddenly show up, Hokage -sama might have a heart atta-"

He abruptly stopped. He mouth twisted oddly as he thought.

"Naruto's the hokage now isn't he?" Sakura beamed. Shikamaru scratched his head and retracted his hand with the scroll. "I guess I'll go. Congratulate him or something."

"I'll go check his old apartment just in case…I wonder of he's still going to live there." Sakura thought aloud.

She then glanced at Neiji. She was thrown off by his uneven expression. He caught her eye, and his face instantly melted back to its expressionless state. A skill that all ninja automatically came to possess.

"I'll be going home then. Mission completed."

The three waved farewell to each other and went their separate ways.

Sakura immediately noticed something odd about the atmosphere. People kept glancing at her, with an odd knowing look. She frowned. She supposed that it was because they knew that she was Naruto's old teammate, and because he was the new hokage….

But it was oddly unnerving.

Suddenly, there was an hushed collective murmuring from the civilians, and they hurried to move to the side of the jagged street. People were bowing to a figure striding down the street.

Sakura brightened. It was clearly a man, so it must be-

Her heart just about stopped beating.

Her breath hitched in her throat.

She knew that dark spiky hair. And deep ebony eyes.

And that particular way they stared at her.

And it wasn't Naruto.

"Sa-sasuke..kun…." She softly whispered.

Her mind whirled. When had he returned? The last she remembered, he had abandoned the leaf, which had indirectly led to the critical damage of Neiji, Kiba, Chouji, and Naruto. But that would make him a missing nin, an wanted man, and instead he was walking easily towards her, people bowing left and right, and him with a cape fastened around his shoulders, flapping gracefully with the breeze, and she could hear people whispering.

Whispering the word Hokage-sama.

She felt faint.

"Sakura." He said once he was close enough. She managed a strangled reply. His voice was still smooth, but deeper, with that masculine depth that he had lacked before, and one that Naruto still didn't have.

_Naruto._

"Naruto! Have you met Naruto yet!" She asked anxiously. He would clear this out. Naruto could always simplify the most complicated of things. Except maybe Sasuke, who was here right now talking to her…

Sasuke smirked and his mouth quirked in the smallest of smiles. But it felt like a jeer. Sakura unconsciously recoiled.

"Come Sakura. It's been a while. Come have a walk with me."

She numbly obliged.

They walked in silence till they were clear of the large main streets, and there were less people.

Surprisingly, Sasuke was the one to strike up conversation.

"I've fulfilled my goals to an extent, and therefore plan to be back for good."

Sakura carefully glanced upward towards him, and slowly asked her next question, aware that it might be taken offensively.

"So…I suppose that you have been excused?"

He gave a low chuckle of amusement. "Yes. To a large extent."

"Huh." She muttered in confusion.

She blinked as she realized that Sasuke had come to a halt next to her. She lifted her head forward, and saw with awe an restored Uchiha property, which had been still wrecked and barred from entry before she had left.

"How- When-…"

She could feel him smirking at her surprise. He silently strode forward, and opened an well oiled gate, which soundlessly swept open, and held it open for her.

She hurried forward, her mind full of questions.

Sasuke slid the front door to the side, and absently slipped his sandals off with his heels. "I'm back." He called distractedly, as looked side to side, and went on ahead as if he had forgotten all about her.

Stumped by his behavior, she contemplated following or staying. She didn't want to be rude, but he had brought her here for a reason, didn't he?

She followed.

A few rooms down the vast hallway, the paper covered traditional sliding door stood ajar. She could hear murmurs.

She cautiously walked down to the room, and peeked in.

Sasuke was standing directly in her line of vision, and covering a good portion of a person on the floor.

The afore mentioned person was sitting sideways, and only their thin tan legs were visible from her angle. But the elaborate kimono was what caught her eye.

It was a deep crimson, and elaborate designs spiraled down its length, with large blossoms and multicolored threads interweaving. It was also lengthy, and the extra luxurious cloth spilled over the floor and mixed with the silken sash strands.

She missed what Sasuke had just said, and realized with a start that the person shifted and began to stand. She (as she assumed it was a female) tottered unsteadily, during which Sasuke gently stepped forward, and embraced her tightly. He affectionately muttered something and kissed the top of the sunny locks.

_  
The bright blonde hair._

Sakura gasped as the head turned, and familiar sapphire eyes struck her emerald ones.

It was unmistakably Naruto.

End of chapter One.


End file.
